Ireland's Next Top Bennett
Ireland's Next Top Bennett was a one-off Irish television music competition where the aim was to find a new "Bennett" sister. Following the success of Sally and Charlotte Bennett, the twins, who were referred to as the "nation's sweethearts" by the Irish public, searched for a new popstar who would follow in their success. Background Rumours of a potential new talent show starring the Bennett Sisters hit tabloids in early 2012 but the girl's representatives quickly denied all rumours and that the girls are focusing solely on The Sister Act Tour. However, shortly after the cancellation of The Sister Act Tour the show was announced through a special appearance on Good Morning With Tiffs. This caused much controversy as many people questioned whether The Sister Act Tour was really cancelled to mourn the death of Jipla or whether it was cancelled to focus on the show; the twins never released a statement regarding this matter. The show first aired on October 2, 2012 and was met with huge success, topping the weekly ratings rankings every week; many began calling the unstoppable success of the Bennett Sisters as the "Bennett effect" as it seems everyone went crazy for them and loved everything they did. The show began with the auditions stages and the girls and their mother Sandra, famous for her autobiography "Life Without a Son", visited various cities across Ireland hoping to find the next top Bennett. Shortly after, Bennett Camp began where the acts were narrowed down and the finalists were chosen. The live shows went on for approximately 10 weeks. On the final, it was a close competition between Michelle McManus and Ruth Lorenzo, but Michelle took the lead. She was crowned Ireland's Next Top Bennett and was signed to Sally and Charlotte's record label and then released her debut single "All This Time (The Winner's Song)" at midnight after the final. The song went straight to #1 in Ireland and the UK and had the largest first week sales for a single in 2012 and knocked Sally and Charlotte's song for Jipla off the #1 spot, which had been #1 for over 2 months. Two weeks later, Michelle was dropped from Sally and Charlotte's label citing thatMichelle did not fit the image of the next Bennett. Instead, Sandra was signed to the label and released the album that Michelle intended to release, titled "Songs from a Musical Hummingbird". The album was a commercial success, which left Michelle angry. She has had no contact with the Bennett sisters since and rumours surrounding the twins having a restraining order against her quickly arose. Ireland's Next Top Bennett Tour The Ireland's Next Top Bennett Tour began a day after the show ended and visited stadiums across the world. The tour was heavily criticised as many critics said that the show was more focused on the Bennett sisters, since they performed 23/24 songs on the setlist, and took the spotlight away from Michelle. The tour grossed over $200m from 8 dates.